In sickness
by SilvertonguedClotpole
Summary: A short multi chapter drabble of Leo being sick throughout his years with the Elster synths. A response to a prompt.- "Sssh Leo." Leaning forward she placed a light kiss on his cooling head. "You've been so brave little one."
1. 8 Years Old

_**Hello! After my last Human's drabble Katie Katherine messaged me and we spoke of a fic of Leo being sick and, of course, Mia looking after him. We exchanged a few ideas and I promised I'd give it a go, and a few months down the line, here I am. It may not be exactly as you have in mind, and I'm sorry if it's not what you wanted/that good, but...yeah, I just really wanted to try and get it out to you.**_

 _ **No beta, any mistakes my own. The riddles I've used are not my own, I'm not that imaginative, they're ones I found online, and one is actually two mixed together.**_

* * *

It wasn't long after she was first created that Leo got sick for the first time- or, at least, _her_ first time. The boy was still getting used to her just as she was to him, though her programming made it much easier for her to like him, to care for him, as she was supposed to. Leo, on the other hand, wasn't at all keen on the substitute for his mother, no matter how ill Beatrice was.

 _"I don't care that she can't look after me, she's my mum and you're not."_

It was a Friday, she remembered it just as she was supposed to, at 1:42am. She was sat on her stool in the family kitchen charging (but still aware of her surroundings should she be needed) when she heard a stumble. Just a small bang that could easily have been missed or ignored. And that was what she did, going back to her charge a few seconds later. Minutes passed in silence until a toilet flushed upstairs. Nothing out of the ordinary, just Leo or David taking a midnight break. It was when she heard the toilet flush a few more times within a short while that she became unsure. At first she wondered if it was even Beatrice, finding fun in the act of repeatedly flushing, or Leo going through a similar faze of immaturity as he sometimes tended to when bored, upset or angry. He had been a little closed off that night during tea, and being unnaturally quiet at bed, going when asked as a matter of fact.

The toilet flushed a fifth time in 40 minutes, and Mia made the decision to investigate- afterall, it was one part of her programming, to make sure everything was ok in the household. Walking along the landing and toward the toilet she noticed Leo's bedroom door ajar, the bathroom she had been heading to closed. Curiosity spurred her into his bedroom, the light flicking on under her finger. She took in the room, the toys left on the floor, the books opened or bookmarked on his desk, the mess of his bedding from where he'd got up and left it and, the small puddle of sick laying near his pillow.

"Oh Leo." Mia whispered.

Turning on her heel she walked the rest of the hallway to the bathroom, lightly tapping the wood.

"Leo? It's Mia. May I come in?"

He didn't respond and she wasn't entirely surprised, not only did he dislike her, if he was ill she knew he wouldn't want her near him. He would want his mother, possibly even his father, but Mia knew both of those were out of the question.

"Please Leo, your mum's asleep and your dad is...working, I think. Come now Leo, let me in."

A few seconds and the lock to the bathroom clicked. Light flooded the landing and Leo's small frame silhouetted in the doorway. He was hunched over slightly, his arms around his stomach. Straight away Mia saw how pale he was, how his eyes were both red from tears and black from exhaustion. Around his mouth was little flecks of sick that he hadn't managed to wipe away. She didn't think twice when she walked past him, ripped some toilet paper from the holder, wetting it slightly to wipe at his mouth. He stood where he was, face blank as he looked at her, just letting her wash and wipe at his face.

"How many times have you been poorly?" She asked, feeling his head and checking his throat.

"Four." He said, his voice hoarse already. Mia remembered counting five flushes, and the accident she had seen in his room- so six times then.

They stayed in silence for a minute more as she brought a fresh cloth for his face, already he seemed to be warmer than before.

"What else do you feel sweetheart?" Since her 'creation' a short week before, she had been experimenting with human 'pet' names. She had heard David call Beatrice a number of them, aswell as people on the television that had been on at various times of the day. 'Sweetheart' was her first attempt with Leo.

"Hot." He swallowed hard. "It hurts."

"What does?" She wiped some hair from his face as he pointed to his stomach, his palm laying flat on it and pressing slightly as if to squash the pain. "OK. We'll get you sorted, what do you say?"

A flick switched. Suddenly Leo turned stormy and pulled away from her. "No. Go away. I don't want you. Go away Mia."

"But Leo, you're poorly."

"No. I don't need you. Get out."

Mia knew when to leave the fight, and she knew that staying would just cause Leo more aggravation that neither she nor his parents needed. It wasn't that he was a misbehaving child, but he did have tendencies to lash out when worked up.

"OK. OK." She placated, her hands in the air as she backed off. "I'm going, ok? You know where to find me if you want me."

Nodding, she walked away taking one last look over her shoulder to see him getting a drink from the sink. Her biggest worry was him choking, or getting weak and falling. Whether he liked it or not she would keep checking on him, listening out from her position and glancing into his room every hour or so.

Sitting down to charge, she allowed herself to power down ever so slightly, the world going darker and her senses calmer.

x

Through her senses she felt the ever so light sensation of the air beside her warming up. She felt a draft creep over her skin and a similar puff of air blow her hair. A breath, a slight waver in it indicating fear or anger or tears. A gentle touch on her arm brought her fully conscious, her eyes opening and her systems regaining full capability.

Looking to her side she saw Leo's form, darkened by the night, but him nonetheless. She didn't speak, letting him do all that he wanted to do, she wasn't going to push him. Absentmindedly, she noticed it was an hour later since she had been with him, his voice shouting at her to leave.

"Mia?" He asked, his voice set low in a whisper but still so very hoarse and gritty.

"Yes Leo?"

He didn't say anymore, for he simply began to climb onto her knee, curling around her own body and tucking his head under her neck. She could feel his heart racing, his limbs shaking, and his temperature through both his and her clothes. Placing one hand on his back, to soothe and to hold in place, she brought her other up to his head.

"Leo you're so warm." 36 degrees C, close to fever levels. "Have you been sick again?"

She knew he had, she could smell it. He nodded slightly in her arms.

"Mia I don't feel very well." He began to cry then, burrowing his face in her chest.

"OK. Sssh, ok." Rocking him gently she decided that being in her lap in the kitchen wasn't the best place for him so she picked him up after unplugging herself and made her way to the front room. "We're going to lay you down, and I will get you a nice drink and some medicine. I'm just going to be in the kitchen alright? Call me if you want me hmm?"

He nodded and she walked away, satisfied that he was ok on his side on the couch. She knew he had only come because he was feeling so low, but she couldn't help but feel a little victory at how he had turned to her in the end. Getting some cold water and medicine she also grabbed a small carton of orange juice and rich tea biscuits- just simple biscuits to give him some sustenance. As she placed them on a tray to carry through she heard him moan from the couch, and a small whimper of sound. Instantly she grabbed a tub and ran to his side in time for him to empty his stomach again into the tupperware. Mia rubbed his back as he wretched again and again, just bile coming up from the absolute lack of anything left in his stomach.

He cried, his hands around his stomach and knees bent tight to his chest. "Hurts. Mi..Mi...hurts."

"Shhh, shhh, I know darling I know." Another pet name she had heard, but 'Darling' didn't suit her either, not with Leo. "I'm going to bring the medicine ok? I'll be one minute."

She was at his side again instantly, holding the amount of the sweet pungent looking liquid on a spoon waiting for him to swallow. It may not work, if it was a bug he had picked up or a touch of food poisoning, but with any luck it would bring his temperature down a little and ease some of his stomach pain. The orange and water was slowly drank too, small amounts every few minutes and after another bout of sickness.

All night she sat by his side, holding the tub when he was sick, pouring some more water into his mouth, and wiping his face with a cool cloth to keep his temperature down. It did spike at one time, reaching 39, nearly 40C, making her panic that this may be more of an issue that she thought, but after a short time it fell again and levelled out around 38C. He never did manage the biscuits but she didn't push him at all, only comforted him and stroked his hair. She passed some time telling him stories, or playing small games with him to distract him. They found that 'what/who/where am I?' was one of their favourites, followed a close second by riddles that Mia read from a book.

 _"Alright...what has an eye but cannot see?"_

 _An eyeroll from the young boy. "Durr, a needle."_

 _"Correct. What weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?"_

 _Leo coughed, his throat constricting before he smiled and said. "Neither, they both weigh a pound."_

 _"Cheeky." She smiled and booped his nose whilst scrunching her own. "Ok then...I don't have lungs or a chest but I need air. I am not alive but I grow. I don't have a mouth and I don't like water. What am I?"_

 _"Fire."_

 _She moved the book, inspecting every section of it with wild and over the top actions. "Are you sure you're not cheating young sir!? I think you might be!"_

 _"No, I'm just that good!" He smiled, the biggest smile she had seen from him since their meeting, a true and happy smile despite his circumstances._

 _"Oh are you now? I'll make sure I find one you don't know." The pages flew through her fingers as she turned them over, the pair of them giggling._

It was almost 6 the next morning that he stopped being sick. His stomach finally settling, only to pain him with cramps and aches instead. His temperature was still high, small beads of sweat on his head and cheeks looking like raindrops on rose petals. Another round of medicine and water finally helped settle him into sleep, Mia stroking his dark locks as his breathing finally evened out.

For a time, she simply sat staring at this human being she was meant to protect and care for. It hadn't been the best start, and she hoped that he didn't revert to his unhappy ways once he was better, but the night had shown her a lot of things that David Elster hadn't programmed into her knowledge database. He hadn't programmed them in because, though it saddened her to think, he didn't know about them. He didn't know how clever his son was, how imaginative and interested he was in knowing everything from animals to the world to...the universe! He didn't know what Leo liked to play, what games he flourished most in or got the most from. But Mia had learnt some of this, she knew him more now. She knew that he didn't like the new technological gamestations most children did, and that he didn't always read the mainstream books but instead found the older classics, or the more diverse stories that the libraries and bookstores owned. He preferred walking and playing in the wooded acres of land to watching television or watching movies. He used the new and slowly expanding computers and internet for research rather than 'social' and media based things. David Elster hadn't inputted this data into her codes. Because he simply never knew.

But Mia would find all of this out for herself, she would discover _who_ Leo Elster was alone. She marveled at how big he was for someone so small, how large his world was and how scary it must be at such a tender age. He would have to grow up fast, he would never be small or babied in this life, not by his mother, too sick to care for him, and definitely not by his father, too busy to even bother. But Mia, it was her job to care for him, and to her he was a little thing, a small treasure to hold and nurture. He may have to grow up fast but it wouldn't sit right with her. He should be allowed a childhood and not this excuse to be a young man in a household so harsh.

She knew his father cared deep down, that he wasn't a bad person, but a father and husband who had too many of his own demons and troubles. Leo was hers because of him, he had entrusted him into her care.

A small mumble came from the curled figure on the couch, a hand outstretching to find Mia's own. Taking it, she rubbed circles onto the skin as her other hand carded through his hair.

"Sssh Leo." Leaning forward she placed a light kiss on his cooling head. "You've been so brave _little one_."

She had finally found the words that suited her, that suited him. He was being forced to grow up, but she would make sure Leo was her 'little one' for as long as she could make it so.

As she sat checking him over, careful not to disturb him, she found a small note tucked under his arm. It was a torn page of the riddle book:

 _I am the hole in the night,_

 _the_ _ever watchful eye_ _._

 _I_ _return_ _in a cycle_

 _to enlighten the sky._

 _Always old, sometimes new._

 _Never sad, sometimes blue._

 _Never empty, sometimes full._

 _Never pushes,_ _always pulls_ _._

 _What am I?_

 ** _The Moon._**

The riddle was annotated, with lines under sentences or circles around words as if a student were studying it. And beneath the riddle laid a note in Leo's improving handwriting.

 _Is MiMi the moon?_

Leo stirred as she refolded the page, his blue eyes looking up at her, and then down at the paper. "I'm sorry I shouted." He mumbled, a speck of colour returning to his cheeks from shame.

"It is fine, just as long as you know I was, and am, only trying to help."

"And I don't hate you. I think I may quite like you."

"Thank you. And I quite like you Leo, at least when you're not smelly and grumpy. Mr grumpy grumps." She leant forward and gently tickled him, her nose and face rubbing onto his upper chest. He giggled, a small giggle that reminded her he still was unwell and tired. Sitting back she looked at the page in her hand. "Why do you think I'm the moon Leo?"

There was silence as Leo looked about, either looking for the right words or trying to hide his embarrassment. "I just...like the moon. It makes me feel safe. And, I like to think that when you're looking up at it, someone you love is somewhere looking up at it too."

A blossom of affection swelled in her 'heart', there was admiration at just how mature this young boy was and how profound his thoughts already were. He was having to grow up far too quickly in his ever changing and expanding world.

"Then hold onto that Leo." She kissed his head and checked his temperature one more time. Down to 35, still high but no longer classed at 'fever' levels. "Get some more sleep. I will let your father know you're ill and be right back."

The black curls shuffled as he nodded his head into the cushion, his eyes already drooping closed.

Walking to David's workshop she glanced out of the window, the sun was up and the sky was already a strong blue. But there, amongst a soft whisper of clouds she saw it, the moon, saying its farewells before dropping below the horizon. It was full and still so beautiful even with the sun's rays encompassing it. And even in the day, or on a cloud filled night, when she was not visible, she was still there, ever waiting, ever watching.

Ever watching, just as Mia was.

* * *

 _tbc_


	2. 13 years old

There was so very much for Leo to get used to after his accident. After his father brought him back. After becoming partially synthetic.

There was the charging, keeping his levels up and knowing how far he could push himself. He had to deal with the memories and how they were so crystal clear for him every single day of his life. He had to find his balance between the human side of him and the synth side of him, as well as accepting that he had mechanics within him, ticking and whirring away, and wires sending electrical signals so similar yet somehow so different to his usual nerve signals.

But what nobody had accounted for, was the extra strain on his mind, not just mentally, but physically.

x

"No Leo, try again."

The young teenager huffed a sigh, his fingers running through his hair and staying there, holding his head as he moaned.

"I can't do it Fred."

"Yes you can. Come on Leo, you did this a few days ago." The synth pushed the book closer to the boy and picked up the pen that had been thrown across the table a few seconds before.

"That was easier stuff though, you've made these ones harder." He took his hands from his head and instead gestured with them to the papers before him.

"Because you're ready for the next level, how do you expect your lessons to improve if we stay on the same easy questions?"

Over the years Leo had taken to learning from his family, the synths teaching him varying things in daily classes just as any school child would. It was essentially home schooling, with tests being used from the actual school boards and being marked just as scrupulously as the examiners- especially when Fred was on the case. His current lesson, was maths.

"Can we just give up for today. I'm tired anyway." Leo wasn't what you would call a 'whiny' child, but Fred noted he was getting pretty close today- probably not a good sign.

"One more try."

"You're so boring." Regardless, Leo pulled the book and papers toward him and picked the pen back up.

"Yes. As you keep telling me." Fred ruffled his little brother's hair, a smile on his face. "We will make a deal. If you can do 4 of these problems, no more classes for the day and we go outside and play something."

Leo didn't exactly jump for joy but he did smile lightly before his head went down to study the numbers before him.

An hour passed before Leo had finished, his brows scrunched up in concentration and mild pain. He threw the pen down and left before Fred had even dismissed him.

"And where do you think you're going."

"The toilet. You said I could go when I'd done them."

Fred laughed, he was trying to be a somewhat strict teacher but it was hard when he loved Leo so much. "That usually happens _after_ I've marked your work."

"You've been watching me work, looking over my shoulder for the past hour, I think you know if it's right or not." Leo snapped, all traces of mischief gone from his voice.

Now Fred had no problem being strict. He stood up, strode over to his brother and tugged at his arm until his was sat back down. It wasn't like Leo to be so snappy and agitated, and it may be nothing but Fred thought he looked a little paler than usual.

"Sit. When I've thoroughly marked it and feel you've done enough work you may go."

"But I need the loo."

"You can wait."

"Arghhh." The papers went flying as Leo flung them off the table, the pens and equipment clattering on the hard floor. Fred was stunned, and all he could do was watch as Leo stormed off out of the room.

"What was that?" Niska walked in from behind, spotting the things on the floor and a pretty shocked Fred.

" _That_ was Leo. He seems very off it today."

"I think Mia said she heard him up a bit last night, maybe another nightmare." The blond synth bent down and began to help clear the mess.

A major problem for the young boy had been nightmares, and for a while he had been kept up for nearly 2 weeks with them. They were less frequent now, but he still suffered with them every once in a while and sadly, he had gotten to the stage where he no longer bothered Mia or his siblings with it, but instead chose to stay in his room until he could sleep again or morning came around.

"Yes, he did look a little pale. I feel he usually deals with it better than this though." He accepted the pile of things from Niska, nodding and smiling his thanks.

"It's a little warm today, heat and lack of sleep will make him short tempered. Honestly Fred, don't worry, he'll come around."

They finished clearing up before meeting Maxi, and later Mia, in the garden.

Leo was nowhere to be seen.

x

"Talk to me Leo. Please."

Mia's head was against the door to Leo's room, the lock turned and stopping her from walking in- why David hadn't removed them when they moved in she had no idea, she never thought bedroom locks were necessary. But nothing came out, the young boy didn't even utter a 'go away'.

Something was wrong and her instincts were flashing warning signals and had been the moment she noticed Leo's curtains closed earlier that afternoon. He wasn't one to usually close them, at least not until late at night or often just before his bedtime.

 _"Maybe he's trying to keep his room cool, it is very warm and sunny today." Max suggested when they noticed them drawn._

 _"Or he's catching up on his sleep from last night." Niska added._

Of course the likelihood of him sleeping was high, his abnormal behaviour was a clear indication of sleep deprivation, but there was something in Mia's motherly instincts that told her otherwise.

"Leo." She knocked again. "Please open the door."

There was shuffling inside, the sound of bed sheets moving, but no footsteps. A second later and she heard a muffled sob, then a louder one, before "I can't."

He was crying, his voice was plastered in pain and she needed to get in there now. But it was imperative she remain calm. "Why can't you little one?"

"It hurts." He tried to get his voice heard but the catch in his throat around the words made it hard for Mia to make out. She knew though that she needed to get in that room.

Not caring for the door or what David would say she grabbed the knob in her hand, squeezing it and turning it with all her might. She could hear the wood splintering in her grip, could hear the metal of the lock bending as it was twisted and finally it gave way. The door flew open and she rushed inside.

Leo was laid on his bed, the covers pulled up over his whole frame. Beneath it, she could just make out his body curled into a ball, his arms swallowing his head.

"Tell me. Tell me what's wrong." Panic swelled in her chest as she pulled his body out from under the covers, taking his arms from his face until she saw his pale skin, red eyes and trembling mouth as he tried not to cry. One thing Mia had learnt a lot about Leo was that he preferred to keep things hidden, every little emotion, every thought, every secret. _Especially_ with 'negative' things. A part of it was shame, a strange fear of embarrassment from people knowing whatever it was that went through his mind, of seeing himself as weak. Instinct and educational guesses assumed it was something from seeing his mother as she had been, and watching his father crumble in front of him too. And now, possibly, from his 'defect' of being half synthetic.

But suddenly, before her eyes, his walls fell and he knew he could not keep it hidden any longer. He took one look at his guardian and let the tears make track.

"My head MiMi."

Bringing him into her arms she could feel his body, rigid yet so weak all at once. His tension had every muscle taught, but pulling him into her arms was as easy as a child hugging a ragdoll. She looked around the room, taking in all she could.

The curtains were drawn fully.

No lights were on at all.

His music was off.

 _"My head MiMi."_

"Do you have a headache? Leo?" Gently, she repositioned her body and laid him down a little more in her arms, holding his face in her hand. He squinted up at her, his eyes full of tears and his brow knitted.

"Migraine."

 _"There is a chance there may be more physical side effects, the added pressure on his brain could be quite suffocating at first. You all need to be on the look out for headaches, dizzy spells, things to that nature. His human brain processed a lot, but now, with the extra synthetic aspects, it could be quite damaging."_

David Elster had explained the different things they needed to be on the look out for, he had told them what could potentially go wrong with Leo and the things he had done to 'save' him. It was an obvious assessment that the young boy would struggle at first, not only was he in shock from the accident and death but he had a whole new list of things to learn about regarding his body. A boy of his age should be worrying about puberty and fitting in at school, discovering his more manly body as he developed. But not Leo, Leo now had to discover his new synth body, how all the mechanical parts fitted with his human parts. Not only that, but the man he _should_ turn to in that had locked himself away once again before even explaining anything to him, or even advising the synths on much other than _"keep watching him"_.

Mia knew what to do with migraines, she knew to give him the correct medicine, let him lay down in a dark room and sleep. But what of the synth side? What if it was the machine that was plaguing him?

"Ok my little one, do you know what we're going to do? You're going to stay here and lay down, we can keep the curtains closed and everything how you left it. I will go downstairs, get you some medicine and then I'll be right back up. Ok?"

She didn't get a response from Leo, there was a slight whimper but she couldn't say if it was one of pain or one of consent. Slowly moving her body out from under his she felt his hand grasp onto hers before she could pull away completely, his grip so much stronger than she had expected.

Through the tears, through the muffled sounds of the boy in pain, she made out a simple, "stay."

In a flash she was on her knees by the side of his bed, her free hand carding through his sweat soaked hair. When Leo opened his eyes, she saw her own terror reflected in the bright blue iris' she loved so much.

 _"David, what if he does start with issues? What if there is pain or side effects to this?"_

 _"Mia." It wasn't an answer, it was a 'do not ask me that, I won't answer' hidden in the stern exclamation of her name._

 _"Tell me. I know he is your son, but you made me to love him as a son too. I am simply a mother worried and asking..."_

 _He flew at her, his face ablaze in rage. "You are no mother! You are not his!"_

 _Not even flinching, not even moving, she bore her eyes into his. "But I am. Beatrice may have birthed him but I have cared for him. You cannot deny it for it is as exactly as you inputted into my code. A mother for Leo."_

 _He sighed, deflating and rubbing his brow. "If..._ if _, there are problems, if the synthetic parts become a burden, a danger on his life once again then...I would have no choice. If my mechanics began to kill him I would have to let him go."_

 _Mia was a synth, a design, a robot. But in that moment her heart shattered, the part of her chest ached just as she imagined David's was right that second. She could imagine the pain of those she had seen standing in hospital corridors, being told to say goodbye, the people receiving phonecalls or personal visits from police telling them they had lost somebody. The sensation of the world crumbling to ash around them. She remembered the moment Fred turned to her, his face broken as he looked up to her with his hands still on Leo's tiny chest, the cpr having being abandoned._ "It's not working. He's gone."

 _David sighed, looking her up and down. "I would give you a new purpose, I would re-programme you all and..."_

 _"NO." Mia stepped forward as David stepped back. She didn't shout, only spoke in that firm, matter of fact, way. "No! You do not understand, this is not anything about my purpose, or Niska's or any of them. This is about us loving your son, our son, our brother. This is about you telling me that if there are complications then we all have to watch him die again. You gave me feelings, you gave me a heart, as good a one a synth can have and you are_ ripping _it out! I do not care what happens to me if that were to...if he were to...David, I love him, and it is not just a code. Leo is mine. And I know full well I am not Beatrice but I am a mother who has just been told my son may not live and you think that my main concern is what my purpose would be after he left. This is not an issue because none of this will happen, Leo will be fine, he will deal and we will all help and love him. Max will keep him company, keep him laughing. Fred will comfort him and teach him, as will Niska and I. We will do as we always did and nothing will change because Leo is still the same boy and he will be fine."_

 _"I..." David took a deep breath, one single tear falling down from behind his glasses as he shifted to turn away. "I do so pray you are right."_

"Mia?" She looked down upon hearing her name, it was said behind so much strain but the next words were softer, miraculously calmer. "It's just a headache."

The place where a human heart should be skipped a beat, her parts ticking to a different rhythm. She was the mother, the one meant to comfort and reassure, and yet here Leo was, the son, the young and innocent boy, who was making sure she knew it was all going to be alright. They hadn't told him there could be complications, nobody mentioned that things still had time to go wrong, but Niska had wondered if he had picked up on their not so subtle 'over-protection'.

 _Just a headache_ , she repeated to herself. It was true, migraines were horrendous, they were nothing to wish on anybody, but Leo's situation was different, it could be more than just...

"Mia?" Not Leo this time. Turning her head to the doorway she saw Max, a slight raise of his eyebrows as he took in the scene.

"Oh Max. Could you please go to Fred, or Niska, and tell them Leo is sick. He has a bad head and needs something for the pain." She tried not to put anything behind the words, Max had been the one to really panic after being told of what 'could' happen, and she didn't want him blowing up the situation now. She could tell he cottoned on to her panic though, that behind this there could be something more, but much to his credit, he nodded, smiling slightly and shut the door as he left, the wood still splintered and not quite fitting the frame as it once had.

Turning back to Leo, who's eyes were tightly shut, she resumed the gentle comfort, massaging his head and curls with one hand, stroking circles on his hand with the other. The whole time he had kept a tight grip on her, putting his pain into squeezing hard, not that she minded, it was a connection to him, a sign of his discomfort that she could gauge as time passed. Keeping her voice low she spoke to him, telling him tales or singing soft songs she knew calmed him.

It was barely 2 minutes later that the door gently opened and closed again, soft footfalls walking up behind her. Her eyes never strayed from Leo's face, not until a hand came into view, pulling her own away from her son's head.

"Do you think we should make him power down too?" Fred's voice barely broke the silence.

"Possibly, he needs to sleep so with luck his mind would slip into saver mode too." There wasn't much synthetic in Leo's mind, far from the memory bank _they_ all had, but it was an extra his brain had not had to contend with before, and when he slept it usually 'snoozed' as all computers do. It was one of his biggest things to get used to, knowing how to let it do so properly, he often woke up with it working overtime to remember his dreams and sleeping thoughts. "I expect he is so exhausted it would shut down for him rather easily."

Fred nodded before rising to lift Leo so that he rested in his arms. Mia took the tablets and coaxed them into his mouth, the boy just conscious enough to swallow the accompanying water. "That's it little one, well done."

"Do you think we should keep him upright? In case he is ill?" Fred whispered, looking down at the seemingly small boy, already limp with sleep in his brother's arms.

Mia smiled as she placed the glass on Leo's nightstand. "You mean to say you do not want to stop hugging him?"

Her brother laughed, a sad smile playing on his lips as he leant his head on Leo's cheek. The smile slowly faded as he said. "No. Holding him like this reminds me of holding him then, when he wouldn't breath and when his heart wouldn't beat. When his body was so cold and listless. I never want that, I want to hold him as he is now, I want..."

Mia surged forward. She knew exactly what he meant and as much as she had smiled at him not wanting to stop hugging Leo, there had been a harsh reason behind it. It seemed that since that fatal day, none of them wanted to let him out of their sights, or out of their arms.

"I know brother, I know. But he's here, he's ok and he's ours. This is nothing to worry about. If you want to hold him until he shoves you off and tells you to stop being soppy then you do that. I won't stop you." She tried to smile, tried to snort a laugh but her heart worried too much. _It was just a headache. It would pass._ "For now though, I think I will join you in that hug."

Bringing Leo's blanket up to his shoulders she gently kissed his cheek before kissing Fred's too. Their heads touched in comfort and their own silent promise, her eyes shutting for just one second as she smiled at what she had, what they all had.

"He'll be right as rain in the morning, jumping about and showing off with his schooling again, you'll see." Squeezing Fred's hand she leant up beside him, her other hand reaching out, placed softly on the blanketed waist of her son.

The pair never fully powered down that day, leading into night, but over time they calmed and allowed themselves to relax, holding onto one another and Leo.

X

"We did this last week, I mastered it, you know how good I am!"

"Yes, but this is revising Leo, we're making sure you..."

"Done." A piece of paper flew at Fred before he could finish his 'stern' teaching.

Looking down, the paper was complete, all right and even corrected where Fred had written an example.

"That example was the long way round, I simplified it. You're welcome."

Leo hopped down from his chair and retrieved a glass of water from the sink, the other synths trying their utmost to hide the smirks and giggles as Fred turned around gobsmacked, his eyes slowly blinking.

"I gave you this 5 minutes ago..."

"I did it in 3 minutes actually, I drew that doodle too, to pass a bit more time." Leo smiled at Fred. "Could I go with Maxi to play now?"

"Erm...yes, I suppose." Fred looked again at the sheet, processing the factors of the situation. He looked up just in time to see the pair running out the door. "But be back here for chemistry at 1 o'clock!"

He possibly heard Leo acknowledge him as he kicked the ball...possibly.

Mia walked over, helping put the pencils away as she giggled at Fred's still stunned expression.

"Told you he'd be back to normal."

* * *

 ** _Confession time. I haven't finished this work (I know I tend to make sure I have it all written before uploading it) but I had been working on this too long and I wanted to get something out for you all and Katie Katherine. SO. I finished the first two stories- with one, maybe 2 more being planned!- and decoded, even if I don't manage to finish them all, then these would do. I'll try my best to get back to it, as I say I do have the other parts in mind I just need to get them down. If not, you at least got a nice two part drabble. Thank you again for reading._**


	3. 20 years old

_**Well...I sort of just created a chapter of angst (at least, I think) haha. I guess this ended up focusing more on Mia than Leo but it's her thoughts on him so it sort of still fits. Mentions of child death, suicide, mental health and blood/injury warning.**_

 _ **Summary: The repercussions of David's death cause a panic in the Elster household. Leo goes missing.**_

 _ **I finally got another chapter done :) I have one more planned, hopefully I'll get round to it but at least I managed to get this one out too. Normal, if anything seems wrong or there's any spelling please let me know.**_

 _ **I can't recall if we know the age of Leo when Beatrice/Karen was created or when David died, so I guessed with the chapter title- if anyone knows or thinks differently just let me know and I'll change the age. :)**_

* * *

The sudden passing of David Elster had been a shock to them all. They had known he had struggled with his problems for a while but for most of the time it had seemed his work had kept him occupied. The 'saving' of Leo had brightened his spirits for a short while, the absolute wonderment of bringing his own son back from the dead and giving him a second life- something many people around the world would surely cherish- shined so brightly in his darkness that he had almost seemed a different man. It didn't last long. Once he knew Leo was managing his new situation, and once he knew that he was working past his mother's death, David returned swiftly back to his work. Leo may have been handling the situation ok, with the help of the synths, but David did not. He mourned for his wife, how he could not have saved her or helped her quick enough. He mourned for his son, how he had been so close to losing him that day too. And although he was overjoyed at what he had achieved in saving Leo's life, it also chewed away at him daily that he had given his son so much to handle, he had given his most precious boy a weight so heavy to bear for the rest of his life.

Mia watched as David became more and more detached. She spoke daily to him and promised he confide in her on a daily basis. It hadn't been enough.

The rejection of the 'new Beatrice' had finally been the icing on the cake for the scientist. It had been his hope to have his family back, to give Leo that final spark of happiness he wished he could see in the boy's eyes. He wanted his wife back, the wife he had fallen in love with and cherished, even after her sickness grew worse. But Leo didn't want her, he didn't want this _replica_ of his mother, the same woman he did not truly know. Leo didn't know Beatrice, at least not the Beatrice David had loved so long ago. No, the boy only knew the chaotic woman who needed caring for, who could not control her mind or the demons she struggled with. He knew only the woman who had, though quite by accident, killed him. As a boy, Leo had always wished his mother better, wanting to get to know her as who she really was.

 _"This is your chance my boy, this is_ our _second chance." David had pleaded, Leo's yells of outrage drowning out the words as Mia gestured for the father to take this knew synth away._

That was when David finally gave up. Mia thought it had been a struggle for him for too long, the grief of his home life, as well as the always present but never spoken about guilt of creating these _mindless beings, mindless slaves._ The man was proud of them, certainly, they were his wonderful creation that gripped the world in a mad frenzy of popularity, but he knew deep down that he had only created a new set of workers, yes sirs-no sirs, that had no capability to fight for themselves. It had gnawed away at him, and Mia had seen the moment his light truly went out; With Leo's firm declaration that this 'robot' was not his mother, and the tears of pain as he had to look upon her face again.

David had turned away that night, his eyes landing on his first synthetic creation a second longer than usual, and Mia had known that those eyes had given up. David didn't have a son any longer, the boy was in the hands of his creations, he didn't have a wife, and deep down he knew he could not allow this synth to live with her troubled memories. The things he cherished most, even if he had not realised it for a long time, were lost to him. Creating a thousand, a million, a trillion, more synths would not fill the fire in his heart. Leo did that. And Beatrice.

 _"I'm a disappointment to my own son Mia, he hates me."_

 _"Maybe if you spent more time with him, David, your son is wonderful, and I know the both of you would cherish getting to know one another better. He has changed, he has grown so much stronger, but even with us he still needs a father."_

 _"I cannot, I cannot be the father he needs. I don't know how, I failed him, too busy looking after his mother and too busy with my work. I look at him and I don't know him, he does not know me. I look at him and I see Beatrice and I remember it all, I remember her years of pain and I remember you screaming that my son was dead. They would both still be here had I not locked myself away down here. I failed them trying to be the best I could somewhere else."_

She had promised to speak to Leo once he had calmed, once she had him under control and the shaking stopped, and she had had a chance to talk it through with him. She held him in her arms for hours until his tears dried and he fell asleep.

 _We'll talk it through tomorrow little one._ She had thought.

It had been too late. The next day Leo had gone to his father, only to find him in a fit of rage and disappointment, destroying his workshop. Fred had pulled Leo away, tugging at the sleeve of his jumper and a guiding arm around his shoulder to move him down the corridor. Leo did not need to see that, to see his father breakdown just as his mother had done countless times. Yet Leo reacted in his own way, he wanted to scream and shout at his father, he wanted to cry and let everything out. Fred pulled harder, Niska standing by as backup and Mia fighting off her desire to take him into her arms. The synths kept him at bay until both Elsters had a chance to control their feelings. They never got a chance to sort the situation, for David gave up the fight, he left his only son in the hands of 4 synths that day.

Leo had struggled most after that. The death struck him harder than even he thought it would- half for he had never expected it to happen. Hiding his emotions as he always did best he would only grieve in the privacy of his own room, with Mia silently and secretly listening in through the door.

She felt helpless. Not just for Leo but for David, and for her fellow siblings. She should have done more to save her 'Father', to talk him out of what he did and given him more support, even if she did feel that there was very little she could have done. Leo closed himself off- even more so than usual- but did not let his true emotions show in person. He put on an act when they were together, pretending that he had to get on with life and he had never had a true relationship with his father in the first place. But Mia could see the pain, she could see his fading red rings and the slight glassy shine of his eyes from recently shed tears. She saw him working his hands, busying his mind with something else. Her brothers and sister worried, they worried for Leo and for their future.

 _"What happens now?" Max had asked, Fred's arm on his to comfort him._

 _"Nothing Maxi, we're fine."_

 _Niska scoffed. "Yes, because of course we can stay here after news gets out of his death. How are we meant to hide ourselves then? And what will happen to Leo?"_

 _"Not helping Nis."_

 _"The house doesn't belong to anyone. It was left in Leo's name but we can't exactly bring him out. 'Look, Leo actually lived, don't worry, he's partially synthetic'." Niska's sarcastic tone bit back._

 _Mia stood up, rarely seen anger marring her features. "That is enough Niska. Max, don't worry, we'll sort this out."_

 _"I. I just do not want us being split up."_

 _Mia walked forward and wrapped her arms around her little brother. "We won't. I promise."_

News had followed soon after that David Elster was dead. Few people came to the house, primarily because it was so secluded and because very few people knew of it's exact location. In truth, there was little reason for anyone to visit, as far as they knew, nobody resided there. In the news it was stated that the house was first and foremost left to David's son, and secondly to an old unidentifiable friend who had yet to do anything about it. It was left alone, left to rot and grow- an abandoned relic, just as the scientist himself. Within a short while the electricity was switched off, as was the water and the gas. Electricity was no problem, David had installed many generators for his work, with solar, wind and water power to keep it stored up. A lake and stream provided water- of course distilled and purified by some quick set up from Leo- and cooking was done naturally. They set up well, if not for the constant worry of being found and forced out.

Leo was torn, Mia knew that. He simultaneously did not want to leave and yet so truly did not wish to stay. The halls were haunted, the rooms a nightmarish memory for him that would not go away. With each step he could remember what had happened, where the corridor had lead him 5, 8, 10 years ago. Mia often found him staring into space, his eyes damp. He would tell her about the time his mother hit him, thinking him a stranger as he stood on the landing, or the time he had fallen down the stairs in his haste to get his father when Beatrice's condition flared worse than ever. Each day, each hour, each second was a reliving terror for him and yet, this was his home, it was the last thing he had of both his parents.

After a few weeks he took to going on long walks around the estate. The forests providing a longing solitude, promising freedom and refreshing his mind. He would bathe in the stream, stating the cold felt wonderful on his skin, waking his mind up and washing everything away if even for a short time. He told Mia these things sometimes, and she longed for days that he would open up to her more, just as he had when he was younger. Leo had changed so very much and it scared her. When he didn't talk to her for days she would sometimes follow him, or keep a watchful eye from one of the top windows, just to be safe. She was terrified that he would become like David, or worse, Beatrice.

"Be careful." She would always say before he left the house first thing in the morning.

Sometimes he replied, a short "yes" or "'f course". Other times he would look at her, his eyes pleading and looking so close to telling her everything, before turning away out the door without a single word.

 _"This won't last forever MiMi."_ He had once said. They had been discussing staying in the house and hiding, as well as Leo's state of mind. Mia had begged him to open up, to tell her if staying at the house was doing him good or bad.

 _"How long do you think we can keep this up?"  
"Tell me everything Leo, I need to know you're ok."_

 _"This won't last forever MiMi."_ She had no idea which question he had been answering that day.

XXX

"He's been gone for too long Niska." Mia heard as Max followed his sister through the hall to the kitchen where she and Fred were working. "Ah there you are, tell her I'm right."

"Excuse me Max?" Fred smiled.

"Leo. He's..."

Niska interrupted him, an assured tone to her voice. "He thinks we need to worry about Leo being gone for so long. I told him, he spends some nights in the woods now, he likes camping. Besides, it's not even getting dark yet, he has hours to be back."

"She is right about that one Max, he has spent a lot of evenings in the woods recently."

"But Fred, he seemed worse again this morning. I heard him crying again last night and I think he had a nightmare."

"He did. I went into him and he pushed me out." Mia's throat caught at the words, she always hated when Leo turned her away, it reminded her of when she was first created and how he hated her. She never wanted it to be that way again.

It may not have been the best thing to say for Max though, for it added an extra frown line to his young face. "You see. He pushed Mia away, that is not good behaviour. I say we go and look for him."

"Just leave it Max, you know how angry he gets when he thinks we're belittling him." Niska plugged herself in and sat down.

"Are you not worried? Do you not care?"

"Of course I do Max, he's my little brother, just as you are, but I know his anger and if he sees us following or looking for him he'll detach himself even more."

The look on Max's face was pure shock, he was astounded. They had all been terrified for Leo's mental state as of late and yet it seemed Fred and Niska suddenly didn't care. Mia felt his beautiful large eyes fall on her.

"Mia. Please tell me you think I'm right."

She didn't know. She really didn't. It was true that Leo spent a number of nights in the woods now, having found a hobby in camping and self sufficiency. Yet it was also true he had seemed to have taken a real turn for the worse the last few days. Niska was right to tell them to leave him be, but Max was also right to worry. "I think...I think we need to give him space. I know your worry Maxi, I really do, but Niska's right, he's a deer in headlights and right now he's at his most fearful. We will give him 'til nightfall, then one of us will go and find him, with a story of making sure he has enough blankets, and judge it from that. Ok?"

Please oh please let her be right. At this stage it could be a 50/50 choice, a fork in the road, and she hoped she had chosen the right one.

Max seemed content, though he showed a little panic left in his eyes. He nodded before walking away and up the stairs- no doubt to stare from the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of his brother.

XX

Now Mia panicked. Her system seemed to overload with the fear that coursed through her, she felt on fire and her cables thrummed with energy. It was midnight and not a trace of Leo was found. He was not in the clearing he usually used for camping, and he was not by the stream where he sometimes set up on warmer nights. They ran through the woods, even as far as the border wall that none of them usually ventured to.

"LEO!" Mia screamed as Maxi did just a few metres away. She choked on another shout, fear short circuiting her for a second.

A hand landed on her arm making her turn suddenly. "Leo?"

It was Niska, shaking her head. She had an uncharacteristically worried look to her face and a tenderness to her eyes. "No. But sister, do not panic, we'll find him. He's our Leo, he knows how to look after himself- learnt from the best if I don't say so myself."

She smiled, and Mia couldn't help but chuckle with her. "I always wondered why David never made you with a bigger head. I'd say it's needed for all that self confidence."

They smiled, though it became strained again, and once more they split up to find their loved one.

When Fred had come back a short while ago from the forest declaring Leo not in his usual spots, they all ran upstairs to check every room, no confirmation between them needed. As soon as the whole house and gardens had been covered they had ran into the woods, to the stream and the outbuildings dotted around. Now there was just a small area left, a small pond Beatrice had pleaded for in her clearer days. She had created it, with the help of David and Mia, with trees around it, fish swimming, frogs resting on the lilies and between the reeds. Flowers grew in patches encircling the water and a small statue of an angel watched over it all.

 _"That's for you my angel. A guardian to watch over you forever and always."_ Leo had been all of 1 years old at the time, and Beatrice had loved him fiercely. Her illness began to take hold shortly after, and she had told Mia that she wanted to create the space for Leo before she fully lost herself. _"Something of me, for him."_

As she walked closer she could hear the trickle of water, and the croaking of frogs halfway into their breading season. The torch was poor and shone a light on only the smallest area, but as she swung it around she saw the angel lying face first on the ground, mud caking her features and flowers crushed under her wings. Moving the light, the beam highlighted other flowers pulled up and thrown far away, or floating on the pond's surface. Tree's had broken branches and it was clear some had been used as bats on the statue, flowers and reeds. The bench they had placed there not long ago had been destroyed, the wood splintered and the seat lying on the floor. Some wood had been strewn around, littering the grassy areas. And as Mia slowly brought the torch round another time she saw, right there in her beam, Leo. He was laid on his side, back to her, in a recently created dirt patch. Grass had been torn up, ripped and stabbed at with a plank of wood from the bench, until a small mound of dirt replaced the once lush greenery.

"Leo." She whispered, the breath leaving her as she ran forward. It was an obstacle course to get to him, around the pond, over the angel, mind the bench wood and try and not destroy what was left of the flowers. Finally she reached him, her hand making contact on his shoulder. "Oh Leo, you're so cold."

He really was, the skin just below his tshirt sleeve was almost icy to the touch. It wasn't particularly a cold night, but having spent however long in the fresh air had cooled his body. Her panic returned, feeling little life in him- no verbal response, no stiffness as he tensed his body, or shaking through tears instead. Slowly she turned him on his back, his body lolling with the movement. His head stayed to the side, facing the dirt as he had before and she saw his eyes closed, his face pale.

"No." _Not again._

Before she lost herself to fear she felt for a pulse and breath, one hand on his neck, one on his chest. The torch dropped to the ground, shining on his blood stained hands. She found what she was looking for, a pulse, albeit far too steady for her liking, and a breath.

Turning quickly she yelled. "I'VE GOT HIM. BEATRICE'S POND."

Looking back she saw the blood, now dry, flaking on his hands. "Oh little one, what have you been doing?"

She gently stroked his head as she waited for the approaching footsteps, glad when the action allowed her to feel his breath on her arm and face- something to cling to, to help fight off her worry.

"What has he done?"

Three torch beams roamed over the once beautiful area, taking in the damage. Max ran forward first, getting over his initial shock and deciding his brother was priority.

"Is he ok?"

"He needs charging." Was all she said. The longer she had sat there, the more time she had managed to think, rather than panic, she realised that the signs were not good. His heartbeat was too slow, his occasional wheezing and short breath was not good. And of course, his cold skin. "Fred, get him to the house now. Max run ahead and get a battery ready, he's dangerously low on charge."

It was a second before she was watching Fred run from them with Leo in his arms, shock freezing her body in some terrible déjà vu of his drowning.

 _"Get him to the house, I have emergency equipment there. Run Fred, run!" David followed the synth as Mia was frozen on the spot, Niska holding her tight. She couldn't move, all she was capable of was watching as Fred and Leo became smaller. Her hands were still wet, though her circuits were fine, the waterprotection doing it's job- oh god, she was going to lose Leo._

"Mia, come on. Not now, don't do this again, he needs you. Mia!" Niska took her shoulders and shook her, tapping her face to get her to focus. "We got to him in time. YOU got to him in time. Again. Come on, he'll want you when he wakes up, just like last time."

Niska pulled her from the ground and together they followed the path back to the house.

Max had been right. And if they lost Leo now, it would be her fault, just as it had been that day when she took her eyes off of him for one minute.

A small part of her hated Beatrice too, for it always seemed to be her that took him away from them.

XX

"How are his hands?" Her own hand had never left Leo's hair, caressing it for his comfort and her own.

They had walked into the kitchen with Leo on the table, a sleeping bag below him, a blanket on top of him and a cable protruding from his side. He was still pale but his cheeks were rosy from the change in temperature- that was good, Fred had reminded her, it meant his body was still responding well. They had almost been too late though, his levels were too low and another half hour would have meant certain death. "You have to remember to be careful" Mia had once warned him after he had collapsed from low charge. It hadn't been his first time, and for the first few months it became a regular thing, with the young boy not recognizing the difference between normal fatigue and level of power supply. One day he had confessed to her he sometimes did it to feel something, to feel anything other than sadness. She had berated him and told him how much she worried, that she would not, under any circumstances, lose him again. This time though it had been...suicide? Maybe Leo had never intended on charging himself.

 _"No Mia, perhaps his emotions took over and he realised too late. Don't think that because David did it, Leo will too."_

Niska, somehow the voice of reasoning that day, had comforted her as they sped back to the house, telling her that she had been the one to convince them everything was alright and not Mia, and that Leo would be ok because he was strong and had been through worse. Perhaps that was the case, perhaps he had only realised when his fit of anger had ebbed, it sure looked like he had collapsed suddenly into the dirt.

"They're fine. I think he cut them on the wood when he was decimating the grass." Fred had chuckled, clearly a picture of Leo stabbing the ground playing in his mind. "There are a few deep splinters I had trouble getting out but nothing to worry about."

No-body said anything, only nodded their heads as they kept watch over Leo. After a few moments Fred's voice reassured, "Mia. He's ok."

After that, they lapsed into silence, the only sounds being Leo's shallow- but now steady- breaths, and the whirr of the battery as it charged him. Max too took a power supply and set himself up next to Leo as he placed the cable into his own body. It wasn't really needed- Mia had seen him charging only that morning- it was more of a nervous task to keep him occupied, something for him to do. Fred walked off to close curtains and turn off lights- though nobody ventured to the house, they took all the precautions to make it seem as abandoned as it was meant to be. Black out curtains lined every window and they only used the big lights in the kitchen, with candles, torches or small lamps in the living room and bedrooms. Niska seemed fidgety, not sure what to do as they waited, and she eventually took out a book left on the side and began to read quietly to herself.

Mia found solace in the silence, just listening to Leo breath, knowing the battery was giving him his life back, and hearing the occasional ruffle as Niska turned a page. She knew that once he woke her worries would not go away, for she would have to make sure nothing happened to him again, she would have to watch his every move and make him tell her his feelings. She would become the bad guy, not letting him leave the house, either at all or without one of the synths. He may resent her for what she would have to do but she would accept it, knowing that she was keeping him safe.

It was nearly an hour later, Fred had returned and was checking Leo's bandages when blue eyes cracked open. Mia smiled, his eyes finding hers as soon as they were able to focus.

"MiMi." He croaked.

She simultaneously wanted to shout at him and tell him she loved him, and that what he had put her through was never to be repeated. "I thought I'd lost you."

He didn't reply, but he turned his gaze away in shame for a split second, pretending to eye up Fred's work on his hands. When he looked at her again his eyes were full of tears. "I was so angry MiMi. I couldn't feel anything else, it was just...white hot fury. I didn't even feel my hands cutting."

She stroked a thumb over his cheek, wiping away some of the tears. "You should have come to me, I told you that I would always be there. We promised each other."

"I...I was just sad, when I left, I had a dream and I needed some time. But I walked to her pond, I never even planned on going there I swear and..." He turned his eyes to the ceiling. "She promised the angel would always look after us. It was a lie. We're not safe. It didn't save her, or me and it didn't save dad. It was a lie and so is everything else."

Mia watched as his anger took hold of the misery. She stroked his face faster, shushing him and hoping it would calm him. Only when Fred moved did she look away.

In his anger Leo was balling his fists, his nails digging into his palms and opening up the cuts.

"No. Leo stop it. Stop it." Fred raised his voice, but didn't shout, he never shouted at Leo. The two of them worked hard to open his hands and once they did they each took hold, their fingers entwining into his to stop him from further damage. Fred on his left, Mia on his right.

Niska walked past to dim the lights before placing a soft kiss on his forehead. "Sleep, don't make me tell you off. I won't be as nice as Mia and Fred."

Leo smiled, it was tight but a smile none the less as he looked up to his sister. "I'm not scared of you."

"Well you should be." Again, the threat fell short as she laughed, and Mia saw the devotion between the two as they both shared a sentimental look. Niska and Leo didn't always seem the closest of the siblings, but there were often hidden looks or moments that proved otherwise and this was one of them.

They all sat back down, Max declared his levels well enough to unplug but returned to his space hear Leo's legs the moment he replaced the battery, a hand on his leg, wanting the confirmation his brother was there, in his grasp.

It would be another 12 hours at least before Leo could be unplugged, he would get agitated and annoyed at being on the table but Mia would remind him he had to face his own consequences. It was times like this when she had to be firm, had to smile a little less and make sure he understood the cost of his mistakes. A true mother's talent, as had once been pointed out to her.

She looked down at her son who had fallen asleep once again, a peaceful look on his face. Mia knew things would never be ok, and that they may well face severe problems in the future, but if they had what they had had today, and what they always shared, they would make it through.

 _"This won't last forever MiMi."_ Leo's reasoning may well have been pessimistic, but Mia would change that, she would show him that anything that came there way they would fight, that it would indeed not last forever.


End file.
